Gensokyo 20XXII: Imprisonment, Secrets, Sacrifice, Sorrow, and Freedom
by Amoridere
Summary: This continues the storyline from Gensokyo 20XXI: Outside World and it chronicles the life of Ran, Yukari, Suika, and Chen after the events of them being captured and being imprisoned and Chen being alone with Rumia and Eirin's ghost. It will also have chapters by those who were mentioned but not otherwise there. Be noted, this one may deal on some implicit mature themes. Enjoy
1. Good

I could not seem to fathom what it was that Yukari and Suika were trying to prove but I had a feeling they were onto something and I wanted to know what. They would never tell me and, after awhile, I started to catch on. Every lunch period, I would hurl my plate of crap at something and then it escalated to me throwing everyone's plate of food at something. I was feeling an unbridled rage and it felt good to vent it. I felt rather triumphant in what I was doing and I was quite satisfied at what I did. Fire was burning ice and I had a flame burning deep inside me. This was personal and I didn't give a shit about whether or not we were starved.

If I weren't throwing plates with Yukari and Suika , I was flipping tables, should we not get any food that day. After a while of doing this, Koishi said, "Great, now they're going to beat on us." to which I responded, "Fine, they can do their worst." She was right and they had came in and beat us. Yukari, Suika, and I were beaten quite badly but we didn't care. We were ordered to stop "misbehaving", to which I said, "Give me back my babies, you sons of bitches!" I had lost a few of my teeth. It didn't matter, they can shoot me, beat me, and kick me but I didn't care.

When Koishi was going to say something in that monotone voice of hers, I heard Satori say, "We don't need to hear your smart-alecky remarks." Koishi never spoke again for the rest of the week or the next week. Satori made her shut up.

_Good._  
_***_  
_They've gone mad_  
_What in blazes has possesed them to _  
_do such things?_

_They must have gone mad, must have_


	2. Codswallop I say!

They've gone mad! Codswallop I say! Oh, what do I do? I know I'll stay obedient, that's it, obedient, none of this flipping bloody tables and throwing bloody plates of slop! No, no, I'll stay a proper lady, a proper lady, that's it. I try to keep my composure but the agony of it all. They must stop this terrible behavior! They're going to get us all killed and I just know it, just know it. Never again, never again, never again! I must behave and mind my manners, so I won't be killed. It's already bad enough that those hoodlums have captured, separated, unjustly imprisoned us, denying us use of the lavatories, and intend to feed us slop but now they're acting like mindless animals. Codswallop, I say! I expect this sort of thing with Suika, being that she's an oni and oni often behave that way, but Yukari and Ran, too? Oh! It must be nerves, that's it, nerves. Suika has gone mad and now it's spread to Ran and Yukari, so they've got it, too. Ah, nothing more than sociogenic illness and, in these conditions, it's bound to be. Just sociogenic illness corrupting everyone, that's all.

It's all in their heads, all in their heads.  
_***_  
_We have to_  
_leave, Eirin says so, because we can't_  
_stay here anymore_


	3. A Home With Aya

After staying in the house for some time, Eirin said we couldn't stay there any longer. Rumia and I didn't protest and she was taking us to Aya's place in hopes that she could hide us. Hopefully, she could because we really have no other place to go. The next day and bringing Yukari's bundle of knittings, we had found our way to Aya's apartent. I knocked on the door, bearing a note that Eirin wrote. I could hear Aya open the door and let us in. She informed us that, since we were to be staying there, we would have to share and that she would teach me something called braille, so I could read, even though I couldn't see. She also informed us that were was to be no backtalk and arguments and to mind what she says. She also told us to try to steer clear of the windows, as someone might notice us. I spent quite a bit of time bowing and thanking her. She could live under the mask of being a human, as she had lost her wings, but hiding us was placing her at risk of her ruse being thrown off and uncovered. Nevertheless, I was grateful and Rumia was, too.

Aya often took the time out to cook for us, read us stories, and tuck us in bed. She took good of care us and even more because we had no one else to look after us and Eirin could only do so much for us. She took care of us, too, but, being a ghost, one very much unlike Yuyuko, she only did so much, like watch after us when Aya wasn't there. We couldn't stay in the house because there was nothing really there for us.

_***_  
_They haven't called_  
_I wonder, why haven't they _  
_returned my calls?_


	4. She Hasn't Returned My Calls

Usually, Yukari would return my calls but she hasn't been returning my calls for a long time. It is rather strange that she has yet to return my calls. We used to talk a lot on the phone and now I wish to tell her of my latest victory at the sumo tournament but her answering machine always comes up whenever I call. They must not be home. They haven't been home a lot and I wonder what happened to them. Maybe Aya knows and she'll tell me, after all, it is not like them not to answer my phone calls. After a tremendous amount of time, I remembered something a message on the answering machine. I can't remember what it said but I think it might have been important.

The message must be gone by now, as that was, well, more than awhile ago. Maybe tomorrow, after lunch, I'll go to Aya's and ask her why isn't they haven't called me, something isn't right.  
_***_  
_I hear news_  
_Of something stirring amongst the monsters_  
_Lack of stimulation_

_I suppose_


	5. Lack of Stimulation

After observing our behavior, I couldn't help but to overhear them saying what we were doing was caused by "lack of stimulation". Frankly, I found that preposterous. We weren't throwing plates and tables around out of boredom, we were doing so to prove that they won't break us. Instead of lunch period, we were gathered into a larger room and was told to sit in the chairs. They explained to us that lunch was moved to dinner and we were to be doing something during lunch period and by 'doing something' , they had meant labor. We were each assigned a job to do. Yuuka's was laundry, Suika's cleaning, well, actually, mopping, Nitori's was repair, the Koishi sisters were tagged with room duty, meaning they had to clean rooms, Ran was given secretarial work, and I was given really whatever was available to do at the time, though I was mostly relegated to tailoring new clothes, ones that were white. Frankly, if I were to be asked, I think it is rather stupid idea to make us wear entirely white, as, being we disallowed from using the toilet, some of us might have shat upon themselves.

Like before, I was given more freedom than anyone else, becoming the warden's favorite, and was allowed to wander around until after dinner. I knew how to pull a few strings to get what I pleased but I had to be careful when I did this, as I am trying my hardest to help out the others and reunite Ran and I each with our babies. However, it isn't very easy extracting information from someone but I could use the warden's infatuation of me to do so. Let this be noted, I will **_NOT_** be proud of that but if it is a level I must stoop to than so be it. If Reimu wasn't a toddler, I wonder what she'll think of me if I dare stoop that low.  
_***_  
_"Will you still write, Aya? Please, don't stop writing the Gensokyo Column, they're all we have left."_


	6. Will you still write, Aya?

I know about what had happened with Ran and the veil and, from what Chen described herself hearing, the others may have been captured. Having lost inspiration and in light of the circumstance, I thought about discontinuing the Gensokyo Column, until Chen walked up to me one night and said,"Will you still write, Aya? Please, don't stop writing the Gensokyo Column, they're all we have left." For them, I agreed to never stop until my life has ended. Before, I had never children stay with me but now I knew I had two purposes: Hide and take care of Ran and Chen and hide my status as a youkai under my work as a chief editior and column writer. No one ever all suspected that I was tengu but, then again, my wings had dropped off and I do look quite human enough. I needed to take care of them in Ran and Yukari's abscence.

One night, while making dinner, I had Rumia, unusually shy, walk up to me and asked, "Do you think they'll come back for us?" I told her they would, although, none of us could make certain if Ran, Yukari, and the others were ever still alive. One would think that TCAA would forget about hunting youkai and leave us in peace but, as I can see, they haven't. Hopefully, they will and, if Ran, Yukari, and the others are in their containment they will finally set them free.  
_***_  
_"Koishi, I'm sorry I was horrible to you."_


	7. Koishi's Tears and the Death of Innocenc

Koishi has been very quiet, ever since I've told her we didn't need her smart-alecky remarks. I feel awful for saying that to her, my dearest little sister. Even though I want nothing more than for her to open her third eye, I shouldn't say things like that to her. We spent most of our time here in an omnimous silence but I wanted nothing more than to break it. I worry about her and it is hard for me not to. As we cleaned the rooms in silence, I told her, "Koishi, I am sorry, I was so horrible to you." For brief moment, she took my hand and then let go, silently saying she forgives me. As we continued cleaning, Koishi tugged on my sleeve and whispered, "Look, Yukari." I turned my head and noticed Yukari was walking with the warden grasping her arm. I turned to her and said, "Hide your eyes, little sister, innocence has been lost." She patted my head and we went back to cleaning. Once we were finished with all of the rooms, we noticed how Ran, Suika, Nitori, and Yuuka were sitting a table in the serving area. Dinner hadn't come but I can tell that they came here to discuss matters.

When Yuuka noticed us, she beckoned for us to sit with them and talk with them. They were talking about Yukari. Taking the time, I read each and every last one of their minds. I heard anguished voices and Ran was even weeping in her head. My fears were starting to come true and it seemed Yukari was preparing to perform the scarpia ultimatum as a way of extracting information from the warden so she could help us, which, in simple terms meant, she was going to be doing something that she won't be proud of. In a little voice, I hear Koishi say, "No one should have to sacrifice themselves that way." Koishi's voice sounded different, surprisingly. It didn't sound monotone, rather it sounded sad, like a small child whose had their heart broken. Her third eye wasn't open but it seemed she had felt sadness for the first time. Usually, Koishi doesn't think or even feel emotions, walking around and empty shell but, this time, she had shown sadness. Tears may not have been falling from her eyes but they were most certainly falling from her third eye. They were coming from her heart. She was feeling genuine sadness from very deep within. I wished for something dreadful to happen to the warden for all that had happened to us but more for the death of innocence. Maybe that shall be my next book, after all, I had been clean for awhile now. Of all the people I despised, I despised the warden ever moreso than I did Byakuren. I will have no trouble at all reading and using his thoughts against him.

As for Yukari, I will hold nothing against her for what she had to do. Reimu wouldn't have.

_***_  
_"You did what?!"_

_"I peed in the mopwater."_

_"Did that mopwater have, by any chance, bleach in it?"_

_"Yes."_

_"You're going to hell."_

_"Yes, yes, I am."_


	8. Mustard Gas

Like I've said, they've gone mad and it's just sociogenic illness. However, I noticed the floor had such a nauseating smell, which I thought was odd but then shrugged it off, since the mopwater employs bleach, which doesn't have a particularly nice smell at all. After giving the smell some thought, I noticed it had a tinge of urine in it. Funny, mopwater isn't supposed to smell like someone piddled in it but, in this case, it did and it smelled like urine and bleach. It had just occurred to me someone urine in the mopwater. Can't be helped, of course, as they denied us use of the lavatories, so we had to do our business somewhere. I wondered if Suika knew someone had urinated in her mopwater and she will be none at all too pleased. As I hurry on to my post, I couldn't help but to hear Suika and Satori whispering about something. "You did what?!" Satori asked, to which Suika responded, "I peed in the mopwater."

"Did that mopwater have, by any chance, bleach in it?"

"Yes."

"You're going to hell."

"Yes, yes, I am."

"And you're proud of that?"

"Yup."

"Definitely going to hell."

I had no idea what Satori meant by Suika going to hell but then I remembered what happens when you mix urine, more specifically ammonia, and bleach together and the result of that is mustard gas, which is extremely toxic, so what Satori meant by Suika going to hell was that she would likely be executed for what she did. Needless to say, many of the gaurds did indeed suffer the affects of mustard gas but, being true to our friend, we never tattled on her. Frankly, I thought it was a rather stupid plan to piddle in the mopwater but, then again, if it meant trying to kill the warden then I am all for it.  
_***_  
_There are scratches_  
_deep bloody scratches on her wrists, what_  
_did she do?_


	9. Clawed Wrists and Yukari's Locket

I still remained haunted by losing Reimu, my babies, and then Yukari and it is to such an extent that I have clawed at my wrists in a bitter rage and sadness. I could only imagine what horrors she could be enduring just for the sake of helping us. She could have asked any of us to seduce the warden, any of us, and we would have done it. Even I would have seduced the warden for her but, no, she didn't ask. She only told about her plans but didn't bother to ask us to go in exchange of her. I wish I could have talked her out of it and, yet, I failed again. We haven't seen her in a long time and neither do we know if she succeeded in her plans or the warden did away with her for being a temptress. However, odds are he may note give her any information but, rather, he might offer to give me back my babies and her Reimu if she did indeed go through with it. In either case, we may never know.

I tried my hardest to hide my scratched up wrists but eventually they took notice and would ask, to which I gave no answer. I found I probably should have answered because Satori read my mind and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, whispering, "We're all thinking the same thing you are thinking, you can cry now. You're stronger if you cry." I burst into tears at that. After I had dried my tears, I had noticed Koishi walking towards me, holding something hear-shaped with a chain attached. She placed it in my hand and said, "This was Yukari's. I found it." I opened it and found it was a locket my, Chen, and Reimu's photos in it. I was surprised they haven't taken it from her and discarded it. I thanked her and stuffed it in my bra. I wanted to make sure I kept it safe.

_"Hello, Auntie Yuyuko."_


	10. Hello, Auntie Yuyuko

After awhile of living with Aya, Yuyuko came to visit and, for once, she didn't have tea or snacks on her mind. She came to assert the fact that Yukari hasn't returned any of her calls. Yukari is her best friend and she usually returns Yuyuko's calls but she didn't. I felt terrible for that and we thought she knew or, at least, remembered, being that food is always on her mind more so than anything else. I could tell it was her when came into the door because I heard the doorframe crack and then the sofa break. I'm surpised I didn't hear it fall through the floor with her saying, "Uh-Ooof!"

When she took notice to me, I felt her fat but very soft and squishy hand pet me in the head and her cheerful heavy voice say, "Hello Kitty." to which I responded, "Hello, Auntie Yuyuko." She asked me why is it my eyes bandaged and why Yukari hasn't called her. Assuming she forgot, I told her about everything, to which Aya made certain they were true. Yuyuko sighed and said, "I should have checked my answering machine those months ago and I knew something was up the whole time." At first, I thought she knew about everything but it turned out she didn't, Aya did. She petted me one last time and said, "I'll see you again someday." She left and didn't come back to visit for a long time but she did always check on us.

_"I'm going to make a jailbreak."_

_"Suika, you're going to hell."_

_"Yes, yes, I am."_


	11. Suika, you're going to hell

Once again, I shared my ideas with Sattie. I told her, "I'm going to make a jailbreak." Naturally, in response, she said, "Suika, you're going to hell." I laughed and said, "Yes, yes, I am." Sattie blinked and said, "Okay, then, I may as well go to hell, too, for concealing and helping you." I placed my arm around her and said, "Sattie, you're real nice." I then asked her if she knew of an exit, to which she said, "The laundry room." Under the premise that I didn't mop the laundry room floor, I gained entrance, found the exit Sattie spoke of and climbed out undected. I kept running and ducking but never looked back. I have Sattie to thank for this. Like she said, I'm going to hell.

_***_  
_She's escaped_  
_And she made it but I'm not_  
_telling anyone how_


	12. A Deadly Secret, a Beating, and a Kappa'

I'm not telling anyone what I did or about Suika's plans. I feel good about what I did, helping Suika, and I am going to hell for doing it As far as I know, we're all going to hell but, for once, I felt good about something. I knew about Suika's plan from the start because I heard it in her thoughts. At least, she's free, that's all I can ask for. Of course, in helping her escape, I now had a secret, a deadly one. I knew I must remain silent about what I did. Like I had told Suika, I was going to hell, too, for helping her escape and concealing this secret. This secret was deadly and I knew I must protect it at all cost. When I caught wind of the gaurds' thoughts on beating us, I was not at all surprised, as they were going to beat us whether or not Suika escaped. They had beaten us to the point that we felt we could no longer stand and we were told to clean up the blood they've beaten out of us.

After that and right before dinner, one of us broken. Nitori, a kindhearted soul, had thrown herself up against a wall, as an effort of snapping her neck. When she failed, I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her. I hugged her close and told her, "You're not alone." I helped her back to the table and offered to feed her, when dinner came. As I was feeding her at dinnertime, Koishi did something damn near and downright unusual. She threw her plate at the wall. Apparently, she thought it was crap and it didn't matter since, everyone but Yuuka and Nitori wasn't eating, though, in Ran's case, she threw hers on the ceiling. After a bit of feeding Nitori, I asked her if she'd like to throw that plate of crap. She replied thusly and threw it across the room.

_I will find_  
_out what happened to Yukari and_  
_my little babies_

_If something horrible has befell them, someone will have hell to pay!_


	13. The Secrets the Papers Had To Tell

Being I was given secretarial work, I was given papers to handle. Of course, being that I wanted to find out what happened to Reimu and my little ones (who must be eating solid food and walking by now), I was snooping through the papers. From what I knew, what they do not know won't kill them and I couldn't be more right. I searched through the paperwork until I happened upon a file, labled "Babies." I opened the folder and it had a picture of my offspring. I read through it thoroughly and found out something I wish I didn't find out. I found out that of my little litter of three, only one survived, the other two had died. I read through the papers and found out about Reimu, whose name was listed as "?" and that she was alive. According to the records, due to constant screaming, she was often doped up with tranquilizers ever few hours. Naturally, I found that to be damn near sadistic to do that to such a small child. Of course, she was going to scream, as she is likely in pain and or, due to be seperated from the one she percieves to be her mother, she is likely frightened. Either way, neither Reimu nor my little pup weren't really any safer than we were.

As I search through the files, I found Yukari's, labelled "The Warden's Lover", but most of it was blacked out. From what I could read, I knew Yukari wasn't going to come back to us right, no, she wasn't. From what I could tell of the current photo in her file, she looked like she had a story to tell. Her eyes were dead and seemed to scream, "Just kill me." I felt anger at the warden for what he did to her, Reimu, my babies, and all of us. When I noticed Satori and her little sister looking at me, I said, "If you dare tell anyone about what you just saw, I will kick both of your asses and tie you into one great big knot until your bodies merge and become so intertwined that you'll become one collossal freak of nature." Satori blinked and said, "Fret not, Ran, your secret is safe and what they don' know won't kill them." They left and I hid the files. That warden was going to have hell to pay for what happened to us. If only that person never ripped off my veil, then none of this would have ever happened. Of course, I feel no anger towards that person but rather I feel it toward the ones that desired to hunt us out, imprison us, and make us suffer.

I went to bed thinking about all that has transpired.  
_***_  
_We had waited_  
_But she never came home, _  
_still, we waited_


	14. She Never Came Home

Aya didn't come home. She had left earlier but she didn't come home. We waited all day, noon and night, and she still didn't come home. I couldn't help but to wonder where it is she may have went to. She didn't say where she was going and she was supposed to be teaching me braille. She had been for over a week but my lessons are incomplete. Also, Rumia has a fever and can't even move or eat. I tried calling her cellphone but I got no answer. In silence, we would wait for her. It had been over a few days since she had left. We waited for a long time and she never came. I want to go out and look for her but we were told not to leave here. Eirin went out to look for her but didn't find any sign of her. She asked Yuyuko what had happened to her but she could give us no answers.

After some time, Yuyuko did come to visit us but bore bad news. Aya had passed away and the reason for as to why she didn't come home was because she died of a heart attack brought on by illness and stress. The collumn she wrote was the last one and, according to Yuyuko, she had concluded our stories in the Gensokyo collumn. When she died, she had put her pen down for good. Yuyuko moved in with us and told us that she'll take care of us for as long as she can and, if she could not, she'll take us to Patchouli's.

_"You can't be serious!"_


End file.
